1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to equipment for the feeding of cable ends to finishing treatment units which treat the cable ends.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Several treatment steps are necessary for the manufacture, ready for use, of a cable end. After cutting the cable to length, the cable end is, for example, stripped of insulation, if necessary provided with a sealing sleeve and subsequently connected with a contact by crimping technique. The individual steps are executed by automatic devices which are arranged, for example, rectilinearly or, for example, circularly, wherein one treatment step after the other is carried out. A first automatic device strips the cable end of insulation, a second automatic device places the sleeve onto the insulation and a third automatic device produces the crimped connection. A unit operating as feeder firmly retains the cable end during the finishing treatment and brings it, by, for example, a horizontal linear movement, and/or a rotational movement in the correct treatment sequence from one automatic device to other automatic devices. The feeder unit usually consists of grippers for the retention of the cable ends and of drives for the linear and/or rotational movement of the grippers.
A disadvantage of the known feeder units is the plurality of drives and linear guides, for which relatively large masses must be moved and correspondingly only slow movements are possible. The working performance of the entire finishing treatment plant is too dependent on the performance capability of the feeder unit.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide equipment that avoids the disadvantages of the known equipment and by means of which the performance capability of the feeder unit and thus of the finishing treatment plant can be improved.
Pursuant to this object, and others which will become apparent hereafter, one aspect of the present invention resides in equipment for feeding cable ends to finishing treatment units which treat the cable ends, which equipment comprises feeder means for feeding at least two cable ends at the same time for the treatment. In one embodiment the feeder means includes drive units for feeding the cable ends, and grippers for retaining the cable ends. In another embodiment the drive units are common to the grippers and drive the grippers linearly and/or rotationally. In still another embodiment the grippers are movable into either positions for feeding the cable ends or into settings for treatment of the cable ends. In still a further embodiment a bracket having arms is provided and the grippers are mounted on the bracket. Means for driving the grippers are also mounted on the bracket.
The advantages achieved by the invention are to be seen substantially in that no mechanical adaptation of the automatic treatment devices is necessary. The equipment according to the invention takes the mechanical conditions of the individual automatic devices into consideration for feeding the cable, such as, for example, the horizontal introduction of the conductor into the tool of an automatic crimping device. It is furthermore advantageous that the ends of a cable can be simultaneously finished ready for use. The mechanically simple build-up of the feeder unit according to the invention, wherein merely one motor and one linear guide are necessary for two grippers, is furthermore advantageous.
The invention is explained more closely in the following by reference to drawings illustrating an embodiment.